Tour de Yorkshire host towns announced

Carl Gavaghan

Scarborough has been confirmed as a host town for the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire.

The decision was never in doubt after Scarborough Borough Council agreed to pay £150,000 earlier this year to secure its involvement in the 2018 race.

The other host towns are Barnsley, Beverley, Doncaster, Halifax, Ilkley, Leeds and Richmond.

The 2018 race will be held across four days for the first time, from Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th May.

The Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire will also double in size next year, increasing from one to two days on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th May.

This year’s event was broadcast live in 180 countries and a record 2.2 million fans lined the route.

The race also generated £64 million for the Yorkshire economy and the Asda Women’s Tour de Yorkshire remains one of the most lucrative events in the sport.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire is a true success story and in just three years it has grown to become one of the best attended and most dramatic races on the cycling calendar.

“Of course, with the men’s race being extended to four days and the women’s race now being held over two, it means we can visit more parts of the county and I know our eight start and finish locations will put on a real show.”

Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France at the A.S.O, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire has gone from strength to strength over the last three years and we are delighted to be working in partnership with such a great team at Welcome to Yorkshire.

“The way people get behind the race in Yorkshire is incredible and we are looking forward to another fantastic edition in 2018.”

Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said: "Next year's Tour de Yorkshire is shaping up to be the best yet with more stages for the men's and women's races and, at British Cycling, we're looking forward to working with colleagues and partners across the county to use the inspiration of the world's best riders to get even more people on bikes."

Next year’s Tour will once again see the return of the Maserati Tour de Yorkshire Ride sportive and give the chance for Tour Makers to volunteer on the race route and help welcome the millions of spectators.

The full 2018 race route will be unveiled at The Piece Hall in Halifax on Tuesday 5 December 2017 – this announcement will include exact start and finish locations and the distance and profile of each stage.